This invention is directed to the providing of an electrical cabinet, and specifically to such a cabinet which can hold at least one circuit board. The existence of such cabinets is not new. Devices for operatively accommodating printed circuit boards or cards wherein connectors into which the boards are plugged are provided on the device for completing electrical connections with electronic components on the boards are well known.
With respect to many such prior art devices, they were often configured in the form of open racks or cages which included relatively complex receiving guides for guiding a plurality of circuit boards into engagement with their corresponding electrical connectors and for positively retaining the boards against inadvertent dislodgement without gripping the same too tightly or in a manner susceptible of causing damage to the board or to its electrical circuits or components. These devices suffered from a number of drawbacks.
One of the major drawbacks involving prior art cabinets for circuit boards was that the cabinets were often manufactured in predetermined sizes into which the circuits boards were forced to fit. Sometimes additional material was wedged between the circuit board and the cabinet itself in order to improve the fit, or an adapter of some type had to be supplied. Alternatively, the dimensions of the circuit board itself could be altered prior to installation into the cabinet. Due to these problems, some businesses insist on custom extrusions of the circuit board cabinet, or require the fabrication of an adapter.
Examples of some of the attempts to address the problem include U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,129 to Butler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,120 to Drake et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,715 to Pohlmann, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,802 to Chiou.
However, it is apparent that the need exists for an improved cabinet for holding circuit boards, and specifically such a cabinet as can be easily fabricated for use in modular applications involving various sizes of circuit boards.